In the word MANAGER, each vowel is replaced by the letter immediately following it in the English alphabet, and each consonant is replaced by the letter immediately preceding it in the English alphabet. Which of the following letters will appear exactly twice in the group of letters thus formed?

Appeared in: RRB Nsg. Superintendent-2026 (Shift -3rd)

Explanation

The question involves a substitution cipher applied to the word 'MANAGER'.
Vowels (A, E) are shifted forward by one position in the alphabet to become B and F, respectively.
Consonants (M, N, G, R) are shifted backward by one position to become L, M, F, and Q, respectively.
The resulting sequence of letters is L-B-M-B-F-F-Q.
In this new sequence, the letter 'F' appears exactly two times. The letter 'B' also appears twice but is not provided as an option.

Option A: The letter 'M' appears only once in the new sequence (LBMFFQ). It is the result of the consonant 'N' being replaced by its preceding letter.
Option B: The letter 'K' does not appear at all in the new sequence LBMFFQ.
Option C: The letter 'N' does not appear at all in the new sequence LBMFFQ. The original 'N' was transformed into 'M'.

Visual 1: Flowchart: A visual flowchart showing the word 'MANAGER' being processed letter by letter, with two branches for 'Vowel' and 'Consonant', leading to the final transformed word 'LBMFFQ'.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Logical Reasoning: Alphabet Substitution as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This is a logical reasoning question designed to test analytical and problem-solving skills, which are essential for nurses in clinical decision-making.
While not directly related to a clinical task, the ability to follow a set of rules precisely is critical in nursing for medication administration, following protocols, and patient care procedures.
What if the rule was reversed (vowels move back, consonants move forward)? The new word would be L-Z-O-Z-H-D-S. In this case, 'Z' would be the letter appearing twice.

How to Approach the Question

First, clearly identify the two separate rules: one for vowels and one for consonants.
Write down the word 'MANAGER' and go through it letter by letter.
For each letter, determine if it's a vowel (A, E, I, O, U) or a consonant.
Apply the correct rule: if it's a vowel, find the next letter in the alphabet; if it's a consonant, find the previous letter.
Construct the new sequence of letters based on your transformations.
Count the occurrences of each unique letter in the new sequence.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Quqr216OdVaFjso24Kat3A

Practise the full RRB Nsg. Superintendent-2026 (Shift -3rd)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.